


We Are All Broken

by Tyler743



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Justice League - All Media Types, Superman - All Media Types, Teen Titans - All Media Types
Genre: Apokolips, Dark, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, End of the World, F/M, Friendship/Love, Older Damian Wayne, The League of Assassins (DCU)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-03
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2021-02-23 05:03:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23006191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tyler743/pseuds/Tyler743
Summary: Saw the trailer for Justice League Dark: Apokolips War and...viola!I don't think that any of this will happen, or at least it won't happen like this, but my heart just couldn't wait so I had to write something! I don't know how many chapters it will be yet, not super long but hopefully just enough to keep everyone satisfied until the movie comes out!I hope you enjoy !
Relationships: Raven & Damian Wayne, Raven/Damian Wayne
Comments: 25
Kudos: 118





	1. Chapter 1

When Superman had first asked me to open a portal that would transport us to the Himalaya’s, I was unsure why fleeing to the other side of the world would do anything for our current state. It had been almost one year since Darkseid had taken control of the world, almost one year since everyone I had ever cared about was killed right before my eyes, and almost one year since I was dangerously close to taking my own life.

That night at the tower, the night everything happened, I couldn’t do anything to help anyone. The buzzing in my head, the horrible cold chills that were running through my entire body, the constant whispering in my ears; telling me that if I were to use my powers _ **he**_ would be able to break free. I was too weak, too scared to do anything. Too scared to help. Everything that happened was my fault.

It wasn’t until Clark had said that there was someone he needed to see in Asia, someone he needed to talk to, that I felt a little bit of hope, unbeknownst to me as to why. But when he told me who it was, I felt my whole world stop, the air around me crushing my lungs.

Damian Wayne. Son of Batman, previous member of the Teen Titans, he was still alive. Someone I knew, someone I cared about was still alive even though all that time went by and I thought he was dead along with everyone else. The fear that had been swelling inside of me, forbidding me from using my powers vanished in an instant. If he was alive, I needed to find him. So along with Superman and his partner, Lois Lane, I did it. I used every ounce of strength I had to fight against Trigon, and I opened the portal.

_Foolish child. You’re carelessness will be your demise._

We all walked through the cold, darkness of the portal together, my ears ringing with Trigon’s threats and promises. Every step I made felt heavier than the last, my lungs were on fire, my head was pounding, I could feel every vein in my body vibrating as though my being was going to combust. And after a moment, we were there.

The portal had been cold, but the chill wind of the Himalaya’s was worse. It bit at my skin as my feet touched the rocky ground of the courtyard we had landed in. Everything was spinning, and I could feel myself slowly losing control of my consciousness. Ahead of us, emerging from the shadows of an arched doorway came a figure, who looked familiar but at the same time didn’t.

He stopped walking as soon as his eyes landed on me, and his emerald eyes widened as though he knew me, but I couldn’t remember. I couldn’t remember why I was there or where I was. Then suddenly, I was falling and everything went dark.

* * *

Time passed, though I wasn’t sure how much. When I finally came to I was laying down in a feathered bed, candles lit around me. I could remember little as to where I was or why I was there. I just felt tired, sick even. Taking a breath I dug my palms into the mattress of the bed and pushed myself up slowly, the space behind my eyes pounding furiously.

“Don’t sit up too fast,” a deep voice instructed from somewhere in the room. Suddenly my memories came back to me and I spun my head around in the direction of the voice, I needed to see it to believe it.

Damian was there, sitting in a red velvet armchair that was placed on the other side of the room. It took me a moment to fully recognize him plated in gold plated armor, but it was indeed him. The same olive skin, the same deep green eyes and coffee-bean coloured hair. And although he was larger than before, his face more toiled with strife, he was alive and he was there.

“Damian?” my voice spoke before I could give the mental go head, and it sounded much more desperate than I would have intended. It had been so long since I had seen anyone other than Clark and Lois, let alone someone who was basically family. It was an overwhelming moment. I was overwhelmed. 

Without thinking, I threw my bed sheets aside and swung my legs to the side of the bed, jumping to my feet. The head rush that followed however quickly made me lose my balance and I began to stumble forward. The sound of the chair being pushed slightly across the floor rung out, and in the matter of a second, he was there, his arms reaching out towards me and he pulled me close. My head fluttered, though I wasn’t sure why. Perhaps it was because I had been without physical contact for so long, not that I was very touchy feely to behind with, but lately all I ever wanted was to be held. And by the way Damian, the least affectionate person I had ever met was holding me against him; I figured he must have wanted the same thing.

“I told you not to move too fast.” He said against my hair. I shook my head as he slowly peeled away from me and sat me back down on the bed.

“I thought you were dead.” Was all I could say, and I almost felt pathetic for saying it. “You just disappeared. I thought they had killed you.”

“A part of me wishes they would have.” His voice was cold, snake like. I turned and looked at him, disbelief washing over me. For some reason I felt offended, no longer relieved that he was alive. The transition of emotion happened so fast, with that one statement.

He had left. Disappeared, and had left me behind to come here so he could reign over what few members of the League of Shadows remained. It was true that I had also felt survivor remorse for a time, and blamed myself. But together we could have helped each other instead of running. He had no idea.

“Don’t say that.” I snapped, again without thinking first. “You’re lucky to be alive.”

His green orbs narrowed down at me, his jaw clenching. He looked more like his father now than ever before.

“So are you. But that didn’t stop you from trying to drive a knife through your throat.”

Perhaps he did know. I fell silent, my eyebrows furrowing as I looked up at him.

“Superman told me everything.” He continued. “Why would you do that?”

“I didn’t have a choice.”

“There’s always a choice.”

“It was my fault. I couldn’t protect anyone because...”my voice began to break and I could feel myself begin to shake. I needed to regain composure or else things would go south fast. “Trigon. I let everyone die. Kory, Dick, Jaime, Conner, Donna, Gar....” I quickly reached up and wiped a single tear from falling down my cheek, trying my best to think away the deep chuckling that was swimming through my mind. “They are dead because I did nothing. I didn’t deserve to live after that. Could you blame me?”

“Yes.” He answered blatantly, his arms crossing over his chest. “I could blame you. Do you want to know why?”

The question was rhetorical; I knew that, so I remained quiet.

“My father did everything he could, that didn’t help anyone. Superman did everything he could, and that didn’t help anyone either. Everyone did everything they could and nothing changed. Everyone’s dead. What makes you think that you could have done anything different? This isn’t your fault, it’s Darkseids.”

His words did little to make me feel better, in fact, for some reason or other I only felt more upset. I knew deep down he was right, but I had let myself believe otherwise for so long that it almost seemed like an insult to think any other way. It’s only human for people to tend to think that the wrong doings around them are their fault, right?

“I could have saved someone.” I insisted, trying to give myself the comfort of the lie my own mind had created. At this point I was used to blaming myself, it felt foreign to do anything otherwise. But Damian shook his head and sat beside me on the bed.

“Maybe. But so could have I. The only difference is I didn’t try to kill myself afterwards.”

“You ran away.”

“What else was I going to do? Everyone was gone.”

“I wasn’t.” I looked at him, for the first time in a year, I actually looked at him. His eyes were warn, tired like mine must have been as well. His skin was a bit lighter in colour, probably due to the fact that the sun never really shined the same way as it used to. And by god, did he ever look like his father. It was almost strange looking at him now, he nearly felt like a different person, and he probably was. We all were.

He looked back at me and for a moment was quiet. I don’t know why, but even though I was hurting, I wanted him to reach out and hold me again. His touch was the first thing that had made me actually feel safe since Darkseid had taken over.

“I didn’t know you were alive.” He spoke finally, quietly and calmly. He turned his gaze to the floor, away from me. “I wouldn’t have left you had I had known.”

I didn’t say anything, but I knew his words were true. We both fell silent.

Leaning into him slightly, I rested my head on his shoulder plate and closed my eyes. It wasn’t the most comfortable position I had ever been in, but I felt safe and at home.

I hoped he did too.


	2. Chapter 2

There were too many sounds going on at once. I couldn’t focus on just one.

People screaming, explosions, glass breaking, flesh tearing, whispers and laughing in my head.

Pushing my back roughly to the wall behind me, I clenched my eyes as tightly as I could and pressed my hands against my ears, trying the best I could to muffle it. It wasn’t working. I could still hear...everything.

Until I couldn’t anymore.

Slowly the noises stopped, but I didn’t open my eyes nor did I uncover my ears. I didn’t want to see what had happened. I couldn’t.

 _It’s done._ A deep voice boomed inside my head. _You’re friends have been slaughtered and it’s all your fault...you could have prevented this if you had just let me free._

The voice trailed off with a snide snicker that made my heart drop even further in my chest. Warm tears began streaming down my cheeks, and my body shook. The silence scared me more than the screams, and it took me a long time to finally peel myself away from the wall and open my eyes. The tower was in ruins, blood and debris littered what was left of the floors and walls. My vision almost couldn’t keep up with how fast my eyes were darting around the room.

 _They are all dead._ His voice echoed.

The first body I saw as I slowly and shakily walked across the floor was Jaime, his upper body twisted at such an inhuman degree that blood was leaking from his eyes, nose, ears and mouth. Immediately I turned and threw up, coughing violently as bitter bile continued up my throat.

_It’s all your fault._

I wanted nothing more than to leave, I wanted the world to swallow me whole and take me away from this place. This couldn’t have been happening.

Somehow I managed to get to the elevator, which was still working. I practically fell inside and slapped the button to get to the bottom floor of the tower. The elevator creaked and jolted once before dropping slowly, the silence still painful. I couldn’t explain the way I felt. It was almost as though I were floating, almost like nothing around me was real. Jaime was dead, but what about the others?

_**They are all dead!** _

When the elevator reached the bottom floor it opened and right away I knew that he was right. The whole room was practically gone, giving me full view to the field of death that used to be the courtyard. Parademons, friends, strangers, enemies, all of them...dead. But again, it didn’t feel real. Right where the door would have been was Kory; her head that had been ripped off laying beside her, her lifeless green eyes still filled with the fear she had felt before her end. Not far away was Gar in the form of a green lion; he looked as though he had fallen asleep on the asphalt, but I knew that was far from the truth.

“Hello?” I didn’t realize at first that it was my voice calling out, I hardly recognized myself. I desperately wanted someone, anyone to answer. “HELLO?”

The laugh returned in my head and I closed my eyes, beginning to run forward. I had no idea where I was going, but I couldn’t stop until I found someone. And although it felt like I was running forever, my foot soon caught something and I lurched forward, falling hard on my hands and knees. The pain was sharp, but I hardly cared. Pushing myself up I quickly looked down to see that I was bleeding badly, but my eyes were focused on what I tripped on, Dick Grayson’s body, the whites of his eyes red with blood and a large hole pierced through his heart. Beside him lay a katana, one I knew well. Damian’s body was nowhere that I could see, but I knew that he was gone, like everyone else; probably thrown into the harbour that’s edge sat only a few feet away from me.

“They’re gone...” I whispered to myself, or to him, maybe. Maybe I needed to agree with him; maybe I needed to know that someone was there with me, even if they weren’t on my side.

_Their soul’s burn in hell with me. All thanks to you...._

“NO!” I screamed, turning around and grabbing the closest piece of shrapnel I could find. His words were swimming through my head, eating at me. All of their lifeless faces; Jaime’s, Kory’s, Gar’s, Dicks...they were all I could see. It was my fault. I had done nothing. I didn’t deserve to live while they were all dead.

 _What are you doing?_ Trigon demanded as I brought the rusted pipe up to my throat. I closed my eyes again, my breathing becoming shallow. All I had to do was be quick and it would be over. I could do it.

 _Stop! You idiotic girl!_ I ignored him and without another second of hesitation, I quickly brought the pipe to me, waiting for the pain to end.

Flying into a sitting position, I quickly looked around the dark room, forgetting for a moment where I was. The smell of freshly burnt out candles flooded my nostrils, and the quiet ticking of a clock somewhere put me a bit at ease. I was safe. There were no bodies, no voices, and no terrifying silence. For the moment everything was okay.

A sharp jolt flew through my head causing me to cry out in pain and my hands flew up to cradle it. This hadn’t been the first nightmare I had had in the last year, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. That day would continue to play over and over again in my mind, punishing me for the rest of my time for what I had done. Or didn’t do.

The sound of the door opening caught my attention but I didn’t look up, I was trying to focus on the pain.

“Nightmare?” Damian asked quietly, walking over to me. I wasn’t sure how he had known, but I didn’t really care. I was glad that I wasn’t alone like I had been every other time I had been woken by a night terror.

“I can’t get that day out of my head.” I murmured, finally putting my hands down and relaxing. I looked up at him, thought I could only make out his silhouette in the darkness. “I just keep seeing....everything. It feels so real.”

Damian stood quietly for a moment before sitting on the edge of the bed. The mattress sunk down a bit, causing me to fall into him a bit. I shifted away quickly to give him room, even though he didn’t seem to mind the contact.

“I have them too.” He spoke quietly. “Every once in a while.”

“How do you cope?”

Another short pause.

“I remind myself that it’s in the past. It was a failure, and not one of mine.”

I felt as though he was going to continue to I waited in silence. Eventually he did.

“This is all because of Superman. He is the one that caused this. If your thoughts should be directed anywhere, it should be to hating him. To wishing that he had died as well.”

“That doesn’t seem like a healthy method.” I responded quietly. He snorted out some sort of half laugh.

“Well it’s my method, and it’s gotten me through for this long.”

The bed shifted again as he stood back up and before I even knew what I was doing my hand shot out and grabbed his wrist. His body went tense.

What was I doing?

Stunned by my own actions I let go and took a deep breath. “Can you....can you stay?”

What was I...doing????

This would have been something I would have never asked before. I was not the kind of girl to ask a man to sleep in the same bed as me, especially a teammate. But something deep in my subconscious was forcing me, telling me that I wanted, no, needed another to make me feel safe.

Somebody needed to tell me subconscious that I was never safe.

When he said nothing I shook my head, suddenly becoming embarrassed by the request.

“I mean...I would just feel...the nightmares....”

“It’s fine.” His voice was slightly shaky when he answered, and in all honesty it surprised me. “I’ll stay.”

Lifting up the covered he began to get into the bed beside me. As quickly as I could I slid to the other side, trying my best to give him enough room so that it wasn’t completely awkward. The warmth of his body immediately radiated under the sheets.

“Thank you...” I mumbled, almost guiltily. It took him a few minutes to relax into his spot; I knew that he was uncomfortable. In all honesty, I was a bit too. I had never slept in the same bed with another person before, let alone a guy. It was new, and I’d be lying to myself if I said it didn’t make my stomach turn in ways which I had never felt before.

After a little bit, I finally felt at ease enough to drift away, perhaps it was because of the extra body heat. But before I could fully dive back into a slumber, he spoke.

“If you have another nightmare, don’t hesitate to wake me up.”

A small smile graced my lips and I inched a bit closer to him.

“I won’t.”


	3. Chapter 3

It came as no surprise to me that I was alone again upon waking up; though I wished I hadn’t been on account of how cold the chamber was in the early morning. Part of me wished we could leave the Himalaya’s as soon as possible to get away from the bitter temperatures, though the other part of me felt at home.

After lying under the warmth of the covers for a while, I finally managed to get myself up and left the room. I wasn’t sure where I was in the palace, and worried for a moment that I may get myself lost by aimlessly venturing through the wooden corridors. Luckily, only a few moments went by before two cloaked assassins turned the corner not ten feet away. Both of them stopped dead in their tracks upon seeing me, and flinched towards their sheaths before realizing who I was and relaxing.

“Um...do you know where I can find my teammates?” I asked awkwardly. I had never spoken to assassins before, besides Damian but he hardly counted. There was a long pause, so long in fact that I wondered for a moment if they were even going to answer me. But sure enough, one of the men finally nodded his head, turned around and began to walk in the completely opposite direction while the other continued to stare at me.

Swallowing, I moved my feet to follow him, my eyes glued to the other as he stared at me with narrowed eyes. There was no doubt in my mind that they knew who I was, what I was. It wouldn’t have surprised me if they feared I could take down the entire mountain at any given second. Dear old dad would probably approve.

We walked for a while; turning corner after corner, going up stairs, down stairs. I felt like we were lost in a maze. Maybe he was taking me somewhere to dispose of me. I chuckled to myself. Like Damian would let that happen.

Finally, we came to a large red, wooden door and the assassin stopped. He turned to me.

“In there.” Was all he said before side stepping around me and walking away. Alright then.

Walking up to the door, I could hear someone speaking inside, though I could not make out who or what they were saying.

Pushing at the door it opened and I quietly walked into a brightly lit room with a large table stationed in the middle of it. Lois and Clark sat at one end of it, Damian at the other with a tall, busty woman standing behind him. She seemed to be guarding. Damian’s eyes flicked over to me for a moment before going back to the blonde man who was pacing beside the table, talking with his hands flailing in the air.

John Constantine.

I remembered him.

Weeks ago we had gone to find him to ask if he would join us as he was one of the only surviving League members who hadn’t been brainwashed. Unfortunately he hadn’t been interested, told us that he never would be. So why was he here, out of all places, now?

I closed the door behind me and pressed my back against it, deciding not to venture further into the room and join the others at the table. Even if the conversation they were having hadn’t seemed heavy and important, I was never good at jumping in. I liked to stay quiet, observe if I could. So that was what I was going to do.

“What’s the point of traveling halfway across the bloody planet to have this conversation?” John huffed, throwing his hands in the air. His speech was slightly slurred and his balance seemed off; I supposed the apocalypse was a better time than any to be drunk before ten AM. “Couldn’t the kid have just come back?” he looked at Damian. “I mean, why are you even here? Isn’t the whole idea of the League of Assassins to assassinate _people_? In case you haven’t noticed, there are barely any people left.”

Lois folded her hands in front of her on the table. “We _didn’t_ ask you to come here, John. You came on your own free will.”

“And the League only has their eyes on one person at the moment, and he’s very much alive.” Damian growled, his gaze flicking towards Clark. The man of steel frowned as he turned from Damian to Constantine.

“We do appreciate you changing your mind on the matter. It will be beneficial if we all work together on this.”

“I didn’t agree to working with you.” Damian spat, leaning back into his chair and crossing his arms.

“Neither’ave I.” Constantine added, walking around the table to lean on the back of Lois’ chair. Turning her head over her shoulder, she cast him a look which he in turn ignored. “I can’t even remember why you wanted me here, mate.”

“Darkseid needs to be stopped.”

“Right,” Constantine nodded his head, his lips pulling down into a frown. “Well I gathered that from the bloodshed and turmoil we’ve been put through for the last year. And you think we’re the ones to do it, yeah? Two teenagers, a journalist, a stunted alien, a drunken magician and...” Squinting his eyes as though he was having trouble seeing, he looked at the woman behind Damian. “What are you, love?”

“If not us, then who?” Lois rushed before the woman could answer, if she had even planned to. “As you said, there are barely any people left.”

Clark stood from his seat and placed his hands on the table. “We’re running out of options. Every day we sit and do nothing is another day he grows stronger. Not to mention that the chaos is feeding other threats. Big ones.”

“I fail to see how that is any concern of ours.” The woman behind Damian finally spoke, her voice low and husky. “The shadows lie in wait for the calm. Once Darkseid has had his fill of this planet he will go. There’s no sense ruling an empty shell.”

“Even if he were to leave, this world would be unfit to survive in. He’s going to feed off of it until there’s nothing left. We know his plan; he announced it during the siege.” Clark insisted.

Damian snickered at that. “You’re all gullible fools. Darkseid is playing you. If he wanted everyone dead, we would be dead already. He’s aware that none of us have the power to stop him, so he no longer cares about us.”

“My thoughts exactly!” Constantine nodded his demeanor unusually chipper considering the situation.

“And what about your father?” Lois shouted, surprising everyone in the room. I had known she was quick to fire up, but I had never seen her angry before, even Damian looked taken aback. “Bruce is still alive he’s just under Darkseid’s control. Don’t you want to help him?”

Clark gently placed a hand on her shoulder and gave one light squeeze, saying her name just loud enough for everyone to hear before straightening himself. His wife narrowed her eyes and went quiet, though I could feel that she had much more to say.

“Not only that, but we have reason to believe that Trigon is growing stronger because of this.” I flinched as all eyes fell to me, suddenly feeling very small in the room. Damian’s expressions softened from annoyed to worry which did not help in the slightest. I hadn’t wanted to become anyone’s burden, and yet, that was all I seemed to be lately. “Raven’s been gradually growing weaker, hearing voices. I think that Trigon is using Darkseid’s energy to try and free himself from his restraints, and for all we know he could be close to doing just that. Even if Darkseid leaves, Earth will be the new residence for the devil, and I can’t assume that he will take kindly to a mortal league standing in the way to his Lazarus pits.”

Not once in Clark’s short speech did Damian’s green orbs leave me. I could tell by the way his thick brows were knitted together, that he was processing, thinking about the outcome. In fact, everyone had fallen silent, even Constantine had taken a seat.

“Well,” he said after a few moments, clearing his throat loudly. “What exactly’s your plan then?”

Clark inhaled deeply through his nostrils. Even I was excited for this part, this was something he hadn’t talked about in my presence, or perhaps at all. “We need to get to Apokolips, take Darkseid down from the source. If we can do that, we might have a chance.”

Apokolips. Darkseid’s planet; the one that had replaced Earth’s sun, covering the world in a permanent, dim red glow. He wanted us to go there? It almost didn’t make sense, in any another situation it would have been madness. But, it may have been out only option.

Constantine reached up and began to stroke his chin. “And if we don’t?”

Clark nodded at him. “Then atleast we gave it our all.”

The sound of a chair moving caught my attention and I looked back to see Damian now on his feet. “I’ll gather some of my men and prepare them for my possible absence.” he said calmly, beginning to walk towards me, the woman close at his heels. “I want to hear more about this plan before I decide anything.”

When he reached me I didn’t move, I just stared at him. He was so much taller than I remembered him being, so much more grown up. It was like I was looking at a stranger, one who made confusing chills run up and down my spine. Perhaps it was the danger of his gaze, or the musky scent of him that I never noticed before. Half expecting him to say something to me, I felt like a complete idiot when his gaze went to the side of me and I realized I was blocking the door. I quickly slid to the side to let him pass and he and the woman disappeared into the hallway.

_He’s going to die... they all will. Just like the others._

I shook my head, trying to ignore the voice.

I really hoped that wouldn’t be the case. And if I could help it at all...it wouldn’t be.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly don't know why it took me so long to post this, I've had it written for about ten days now. So sorry everyone!  
> I hope all of you have been keeping safe during these hard times! 
> 
> If you enjoy my works please keep an eye out for "When in Rome" "Outlaws" and "Rise of the Phoenix part two", I have been working on those during the past few weeks and will be uploading them soon! And for those who like this story but haven't read any of my other work, please take a looks at Rise of the Phoenix part one, I hope you'll like it!

For the next few hours I did nothing but sit at the table and listen to Clark, Lois and Constantine talk about our odds, our options and possible outcomes. The plan didn’t sound perfect, but I supposed at this point there could be no such thing as a perfect plan. We had to make a move for survival, no matter how risky that move may be.

I didn’t have much to say on the matter, because in all honesty, I had no idea what to do. I could feel Trigon’s energy pulse through my veins; he was both annoyed and amused by our ideas, and it was unsettling. Eventually, Clark went to find Damian, and Lois went back to her chambers. I was left alone with Constantine who had taken a flask out from the inside of his coat and started drinking from it. I watched him as he walked over to a large fireplace and leaned one arm against it, his intoxicated gaze staring into the flames.

He was a strange man, Constantine. Normally, being an empath, I could read most people like an open book, Damian being the closest to confusing me. But this man was completely different, his emotions were muddled, his path unclear, and what seemed to be gray fog clouded his psyche. It was strange, almost...unhuman, but not quite.

Burping loudly, he excused himself and turned around to face me, his eyes slightly narrowed. I straightened in my chair, my thighs pressing together. I couldn’t tell if he was about to scold me for something, or if he was about to go on a drunken rant. The last time we had met he hadn’t been the most approachable. But instead of doing either of those things, he merely asked a question.

“So, you’re a half demon?” was all he said. It stunned me for a moment as I had never been called that especially as casually as that, but for all intense purposes, he was right.

“Yeah.”

“Hm,” a small smirk graced his lips before he took another swig from his flask. “And your father, this...Trigon. Do you really think he’s capable of breaking free and taking over the world? I don’t really want to commit to anything unless I know there are no other options.”

I looked down at the table, my own reflection distorted in the glass. “I can feel him getting stronger every day. It’s possible that he won’t be able to break free but...if he does, I know this wouldn’t be a world I’d want to continue living in.”

Constantine nodded his head a few times before wobbly starting over towards the table. Again, I was unsure of what he was doing. I hated not being able to read someone’s next move; it scared me in a way.

“Well, I suppose I have no other choice then. Saving the world might even give me a foot up to getting into heaven, who knows. Drink?”

Stretching his arm across the table, he offered me his flask. I didn’t take it however, just looked at it. “Takes the edge off this apocalypse shite.”

I was never really a big drinker, even when the other Titans would indulge themselves I would normally resist, and if I did have a drink it would only be a very small amount. I supposed this time it would be okay to give, after all, I was sure he was right; it probably would take the edge off.

I took it from him. “I don’t know if I believe in heaven.”

And it was true. I knew Trigon, and I knew hell. But I had never been given any reason to think that there was anything else to look for after death.

Constantine snickered as I took a quick swig from the flask, the tangy, bitter liquid biting down my throat. “Well girly, if you’ve seen what I have, you’d believe, or at least want to.”

As quickly as he had offered it, he snatched his flask back and took another drink. I decided not to tell him that I did know what hell was like. It would get us nowhere.

“I never thought this would be how it ends.” he said with a shrug, falling down into one of the chairs. His voice didn’t sound scared or upset however. He sounded restless, ready for it to be over. But at the same time almost annoyed that this was how it was going to happen.

I got it now. He was worn out from life. This man had seen things that most people couldn’t even fathom, and I could tell.

Shrugging my shoulders I tried to smile. I didn’t know if it had worked or not.

“You never know. This could work.”

Snorting into his flask his icing eyes lulled closed. “That it could.”

* * *

Reaching into the top drawer of my bedside dresser, I pulled out a thick, black nightgown. The material was itchy and the style was normally something I would not wear, but I was beginning to not be able to handle the cold of the mountains. My everyday dress wasn’t by any means warming to begin with, and the moment I had taken off my cloak, I had realized that goose bumps were covering the skin of my legs. Trying to be as quick as I could, I undressed and tugged the nightgown over my head, unfortunately hearing the door to my room open just as I did so, causing me to move even quicker.

“Oh,”

Damian was there, his cheeks red, his gaze turned towards the floor.

“Um...I should have knocked.” He said, but still walked into the room, closing the door behind him. I nodded as I fixed the dress around me, I could feel that my face was also hot from being flushed.

“What is it?” was what my tongue decided to go with as I crossed my arms tightly across my chest. I felt so awkward sometimes, but I was sure there was an important reason he had come in without knocking.

Straightening his back he looked back at me. “I just wanted to inform you personally that I have decided to...help.”

“You thought it was necessary to inform that to me personally?”

He took a step closer. “I...yes.”

Never, in the years I had known Damian had I seen him act so at a loss for words. It was like for once in his life he wasn’t confident in what he was saying, and I couldn’t piece together why. But before I could ask him about it, or even reply, he continued.

“I didn’t help you or anyone last time. I watched everyone around me...fall...and I did nothing out of fear. I left you alone...and I want to apologize.”

To my utter surprise, he dropped down to one knee and bowed his head deeply. “I want to help this time to make up for what I couldn’t do and for what I should have. If I can help save my father and the others from Darkseid’s grasp, than that would be preferred, but if all I can do is protect you...my teammate, then I will until my last breath.”

I could do nothing more than stare wide eyed at him. He knew that I was strong enough to hold my own, but he also knew that Trigon was weakening me. If Trigon broke free, the world would stand no chance and neither did I or anyone else for that matter. Having someone to protect me was futile, and yet...I could understand his desire to try. He was unable to save Dick, or his father, or anyone for that matter. In a strange matter of speaking, I was the only person he felt at home with who was left. I truly understood how it felt to want to protect the ones you loved.

Without me realizing it, Damian had gotten up and walked over to me. I was surprised by his height, I hadn’t remembered him ever being taller than me, but I now had to look up to look into his eyes.

“Raven,” his voice was low and quiet but also serious. I said nothing, but my eyes instinctively went to his lips, watching them move as he spoke. “I promise that I will do anything in my power to complete this mission, and everything I possibly can to keep you safe. Forgive me?”

He might have tried to hide it the best he could, but I saw the quiver in his bottom lip as he asked the question, a question I knew he needed the answer to. He had asked me if I would forgive him for leaving me, but what he truly wanted was to be forgiven for not being able to do anything for anyone, and perhaps for more than that. He needed that forgiveness from someone, someone that he knew and who knew him. I had known Damian for six years, I knew all about his tainted past and inner demons.

Damian was a broken human.

He had carried so much weight from such a young age, had hurt those he loved, said things he could never take back, lost more than anyone could even imagine, but he was here now...asking for forgiveness.

Yes, he was a broken person, but so was I. We were all broken, but we were all still here, trying.

My eyes drifted closed as I slowly brought my hands up and rested them gently on his cheeks. His skin was cold and dry from the air, and the slight prick of facial hair poked at my fingers. He tensed at the touch but did not pull back. I inhaled deeply, my eyes opening to look at him. Our gazes locked and in a moment I could feel everything he was feeling, see everything he was seeing.

_Fear, guilt, embarrassment, comfort, love, anticipation, hatred._

It was easy to understand how heavy he must have been feeling.

I exhaled, letting all of the feelings out in a single breath. “There’s nothing to forgive, Damian.”

His eyes closed and he nodded, I could feel his body tremble underneath me. Without hesitation I embraced him, holding him tight to me. The trembling continued; I never thought I would see Damian cry, I still wasn’t sure I was going to, but this was close.

“And thank you, for helping. It makes me feel safer knowing you’ll be there with me when we go to Apokolips.”

He nodded again, leaning his head on mine slightly. No matter what was going to happen during this mission, no matter if we won or if we fell, we had to give it our all. For the sake of those we lost, for the sake of those who remained, for the sake of the planet. It was all or nothing. And if we did lose, well...God pray for those who were still left.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm normally a BBRAE shipper but I just love Damian so much that I couldn't help but be happy for him when I saw the movie trailer. Just...adorable.
> 
> If you haven't seen the trailer....watch it!  
> Also please comment and let me know if you want me to continue/if you enjoy!


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